Venom’s #1 Opening Weekend Worldwide

Venom has topped the box office with an amazing, spectacular opening weekend

Venom is the all-time biggest release for Tom Hardy in Malaysia, and also the biggest opening weekend (non-holiday) for an original superhero debut film.

Sony’s Venom, based on the Marvel property, has sunk its teeth into a coursing $205.2M globally with the biggest opening in October history worldwide, domestically and overseas. The international box office portion of Venom’s bite was $125.2M, coming in ahead of industry projections that had it around $110M. The Tom Hardy-starrer bowed in 58 offshore markets and was tops in 57. Overall, and in like-for-likes at today’s rates, Venom bested the openings of Doctor Strange (+20%), Ant-Man And The Wasp (+32%) and Wonder Woman (+38%).

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The five-day $16.4M bow of Venom in Korea, a discerning hero market, has already surpassed the lifetimes of Captain America: The First Avenger, Justice League, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman.

The other majors to release this frame include Russia at $13.6M to top the full runs of Ant-Man And The Wasp, The First Avenger, Justice League and Wonder Woman. In the UK, the Ruben Fleischer-helmed anti-hero pic was No. 1 with $10.5M to top the start of Ant-Man And The Wasp and Wonder Woman. Mexico scored the best Sony opening ever and the highest opening for a standalone superhero pic with a weekend total of $10.2M.

The film’s 32% score on Rotten Tomatoes didn’t ultimately impact the opening at home or abroad; and it’s benefiting from being the shiny new superhero movie in a while. Sony’s President of International Distribution, Steven O’Dell, tells me anecdotally that he’s been hearing from overseas exhibitors that their kids were going to school in the Venom costume and that there was “a lot more love than people were aware of beyond (the core) fans. It went beyond other standalones and the ones with sequels.” But the true power of Venom became evident on Saturday morning with the numbers coming out of Asia. As with any superhero movie, there is a sort of frontloading here, but there is room ahead and the lightness of Hardy’s relationship to Venom provides a fresh spin. O’Dell calls it a “win for everyone involved.” France, Japan and China (the latter TBD) are still to come.
Sony’s Venom lashed its way to several records over the weekend, including the biggest October domestic debut and the same for worldwide. The global come is a huge $205.2M with $125.2M from 20,800 screens internationally. It also set the top global IMAX October bow at $15.4M from 726 screens in 60 markets. Of that, overseas accounted for $7M to set the format’s best international launch, as well as Sony’s best ever in IMAX — surpassing Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Overall, the picture is tracking as one of the biggest launches ever for a standalone superhero film. To be sure, there is frontloading here and the movie is benefiting from a lack of blockbuster fare in recent weeks. It does have some clear play ahead, however.